I'm unable to start a Hangout or voice and video chat

If you are unable to start a Hangout or make a voice and video chat to a contact, please follow the steps below to troubleshoot your issues:

Make sure the Hangouts Plugin is installed: It is possible that you are connected to Chat or Hangouts through a browser that does not have the plugin enabled. Please try downloading the plugin. Please also ensure that the person you are chatting with also has the plugin installed.

Ask the person you are starting a Hangout or video chat with to check their device: In order to start a Hangout or voice and video chat with someone, they must be using video chat in Gmail or the Hangouts app on their desktop or mobile device.

Make sure your webcam and mic are set up correctly. If you are using an external microphone or webcam, please make sure they are set up correctly.

Please visit the Chat forum to get additional support for your issue. The Chat forum has been closed to new posts in order to focus on Hangouts, but you can still search the forum for answers to issues or questions.